So these boats chasing the japanese hunting fleet I remember these stories of the sea sheperd people throwing acid at the whalers and I remember looking it up and finding out there were actually throwing a type of rancid butter stick bomb. and again this time I see BBC and breakingnews.ie saying "throwing 'acid' at the whalers".

its butyric acid, I was trying find the ph of it couldn't find a definite one somewhere between 2 and 5!

"Nice try, but a total fabrication," said Captain Watson. "The butyric acid is contained in one-liter glass bottles, all of which broke upon contact with the flensing deck of the Nisshin Maru. These bottles are sealed and the acid released after being broke, so it is impossible to be hit by an empty bottle. Secondly, no one squirted butyric acid into anyone's eye, and even if they did, this is a simple non-toxic butter acid, basically rancid butter. It will not cause eye injury. If we had tossed marshmallows on the deck of the Nisshin Maru, I'm sure the whalers would try to claim they were injured by them"

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/mar2...7-03-01-01.asp
Butyric acid is listed by several university chemical departments as a corrosive substance that is harmful if swallowed or inhaled. The extremely unpleasant smell may cause nausea and the liquid may burn skin and eyes. It is readily absorbed through the skin and is a severe skin, eye and respiratory irritant.

According to Japan's Fisheries Agency spokesman, Hideki Moronuki, the two Japanese crewmen sustained injuries from the attack after one was hit by an empty container of acid and the other had acid squirted in his eye.

At the time, Sea Shepherd Captain Paul Watson said, "The Sea Shepherd crew has successfully delivered six liters of butyric acid onto the flensing deck of the Nisshin Maru. This 'butter acid' is a nontoxic obnoxious smelling substance. The foul smell has cleared the flensing deck and stopped all work of cutting up whales."

seems they decided to use it to spoil the deck where they cut the meat.

now I think throwing bottles even if they are aiming for the deck and ramming the ship pretty dangerous, but to use the word acid on its own is simple wrong and misleading, do the bbc and breakingnews have no interest in news and fact checking(I remember they obviously tired to forget) if they had said 'butyric acid' that would have been fine not that I instinctively know what butyic acid is maybe others would.

apparently the japanese had to abandon their last mission wen fire broke out on their main ship that killed a crewman they tried to infer the fire was started by the protestors when it was not.